Rufus' Twin
by everfreesoul
Summary: Rufus' Twin" - Eight years after the defeat of Sephiroth, the FFVII gang will have to face an evil they never imagined existed.
1. Prologue Hours After the Destruction

"Rufus' Twin"  
  
By Me  
  
Prologue - Hours After the Destruction of Sephiroth   
  
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He pressed his hands to the cool, smoothness of the stone wall, trying to imagine what the bark of a tree or the sharp blades of grass would feel like. Would the air smell like the sterile iciness of his prison? How blue would the sky blanketing the earth be, how green would the hills he longed to climb be, how bright would the sun he longed to stare into shine? Anger coursed through him, and he longed for something to deystroy, someone to hurt.  
  
He had been in this room forever as far as he could tell. His earliest memories were of these faded gray walls and metallic furnishings. The ugly man had been wise not to put anything in here he could deystroy with his hands. He had the knowledge to deystroy anything with materia, but of course he didn't have any. The ugly man had only let him use it once.  
  
He still remembered the smooth, green globe. It had fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and he had felt its power coursing through him, becoming one with him. Lightening had shot from his fingerstips, exploding the wall in front of him and throwing him into the wall behind. When he had looked down at his hands, the globe was gone. He had felt an uncharacteristic sadness then, because the only thing of color and beauty he had ever known was now gone.  
  
The ugly man had been so amazed that he forgot to keep his distance and had crossed the room and hugged him. Then, he had started dancing around in circles, muttering something about how he was even stronger than someone named Sephiroth. After that, the ugly man had promised to bring more globes of different colors and teach him how to control his powers. But, the man hadn't come. No one had come in the past two days. He had no books to read, because he had read the last stack in two hours. He had no one to talk to because the voice hadn't come into his mind for the past two days either.  
  
He had no one now. He didn't mind that the ugly man hadn't come, it was the voice that he missed. The voice was his one friend, the only one who understood his feelings of anger, his need for destruction. He wanted to die, to kill himself now, but that ugly bastard hadn't even left anything to accomplish that with.  
  
Do you always give up so easily? Was I wrong about you? Are you not as strong as I need you to be?  
  
He lifted his head from his hands. The voice! It hadn't left him after all.  
  
"What happened? Why haven't you talked to me for days?"  
  
I need you. Are you strong enough?  
  
"Strong enough for what?"  
  
To leave this prison. To use your powers to deystroy my enemies.  
  
"You can't-"  
  
I haven't the strength! They have deystroyed the last ties I had with the mortal world.  
  
"Yes. I will do anything you ask of me. Only, the ugly man wouldn't let me learn how to use my powers."  
  
I will teach you.  
  
"How?"  
  
Patience! I have enough strength left to come to you, but no power to control the earth. You are my only hope.  
  
He waited patiently for the voice to materialize. It would be the first time he had ever seen it in its human form. Slowly, the outline of a tall man formed-- long, silver hair flowing around a black clothed figure. Then it stepped towards him, the power radiating from its unearthly green eyes hypnotizing him, pulling him into its energy.  
  
"What is your name?" it asked.  
  
"You know I have no name. No one does."  
  
"Then choose one."  
  
He thought of the name that he had heard the ugly man whisper. Sephiroth. He liked that name, it sounded strong.  
  
"Sephiroth."  
  
The voice stared at him, its eyes piercing him, as if this man could see into his soul. Suddenly, it threw its head back and laughed. The sound of it was chilling, and he had the urge to hide, not laugh with it.  
  
"What should I call you?" the man with the newly aquired name asked.  
  
"You can call me death."  
  
The voice must have liked that too, for it threw its head back and laughed again. Its laughter washed over him like ice. Was he really wise to trust this thing?  
  
I can read your mind. I can get into your mind. You are a part of me, I am a part of you. We are one.  
  
"Show me what I am to do."  
  
"Soon. Tell me, what did Hojo teach you?"  
  
"Who is Hojo?"  
  
"The ugly man."  
  
"Nothing. He promised he would, but he never returned."  
  
"He is dead."  
  
"Dead. Strange, I feel no emotion."  
  
"That is good. That is why I know you can help me. Hojo thought that you were his little secret. No one knew, not even your father. But I knew. Only I knew. Now, you will help me destroy those that took my life from me."  
  
"Yes. Teach me." 


	2. Part One One year Later

"Rufus' Twin"  
  
By Me  
  
Chapter One - One Year Later   
  
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Cid Highwind took a long drag of the cigarette hanging from his lips like a parched man in bad need of water. Then, he resumed pacing the small room already stuffed full of bodies. Four bodies to be exact: Vincent Valentine, Cloud Strife, Red XIII, and Barret Wallace.  
  
"Dammit Cid," Barret complained, "quit yer pacin' or I'm gonna hafta shoot ya. Yer startin' to make me nervous."  
  
Cid gave Barret a look that could have leveled a rhino and said simply, "Go piss up a rope."  
  
Said Vincent from his post in the corner, "You are so eloquent Cid. I believe that is why we are such good friends."  
  
Cid glanced in Vincent's direction and tugged at the damned so-called tie(which he felt was really a noose).  
  
"Shera had a hard time getting you in that Cid. I think you should quit messing it up," Cloud informed him.  
  
"Did I #&$n' ask for opinions from the peanut gallery?!"  
  
"I have not said a word," Red said, lifting his head from his massive paws long enough to deliver this statement.  
  
Vincent, having decided he had had enough with watching Cid demolish his tie, walked up to his friend and got him to hold still long enough to fix it.  
  
"How'd you learn to fix these damned suicide ropes?" Cid queried, getting a few more puffs out of his cigarette before lighting another.  
  
"You forget friend, I was once a Turk."  
  
"Yeah, before you came to your senses."  
  
"Sleeping in a coffin is coming to my senses?"  
  
Vincent's little remark accomplished what he had hoped it would, it got Cid to laugh and relieved some of the tension in the room.  
  
"S#&! What the hell is takin' that woman so damn long!"  
  
"You only get married once," Red reminded Cid.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm beginnin' to have second thoughts. Why the hell didn't I just leave it alone?"  
  
"Ya needed ta make an honest woman outta her," Barret said.  
  
"She is seven months pregnant," Cloud pointed out.  
  
"So! What the hell difference does that make?"  
  
"Maybe it makes a lot of difference to her. It did to Tifa," Cloud replied.  
  
Cid's only reply was a very distinctive four letter word. He continued to pace and smoke, having gone through one pack already. He realized he was probably being a real $$, but he couldn't control the damn quivering in the pit of his stomach, or the slight tremble to his hand. He'd been living as lovers with Shera for a year now, but somehow marriage posed a very different view on their relationship. But, dammit, if this was what Shera wanted, then this is was he would give her.  
  
Vincent watched Cid pace, and for the first and only time, he was grateful for his lack of feeling. He would not want to be experiencing what Cid was right now. If anyone had told him a year before that Cid Highwind would be marrying a very pregnant Shera, he would have told them they were better off trying to hold Shinra Inc. together, rather than hoping for a miracle of this proportion. But, here he stood, witness to the fact that Cid was actually wearing a suit(monkey-suit, as Cid called it)and marrying Shera.  
  
Cloud braced his lean frame against the wall and thought about Tifa in the other room, holding their baby girl--Cera, three months old. Although he had never treated Tifa the way Cid had Shera, he had been just as blind to his feelings for her as Cid had for Shera. But, it didn't take long after defeating Sephiroth for Tifa to tell him to make up his mind. He knew that losing her was not something he cared to face, so he married her. They now took up residence in Rocket Town just a few houses down from Shera and Cid.  
  
Red was trying very hard to take a nap. But, the vibrations of Cid's work boots(the one thing he refused to change, besides the goggles with his cigarettes tucked in the side)on the floor was making it very difficult. Red, being of a very calm nature, did not let Cid's anxiety affect him. Still, he felt a twinge of unease, and was uncertain of its origin. Did this mean that danger was coming, and that they were not as safe as they hoped? Or, was he actually, for once, affected by another's agitation?  
  
Barret was strongly considering beatin' Cid over the head to get him to sit down. All that damned pacin' was startin' to make him edgy. Especially, since he could relate. Hell, it was only five months ago that he had married Elmyra and the three of them--Elmyra, Marlene, and him--had made a permanent home in Kalm. Things were pretty peaceful right now, and he prayed that nothin' changed.  
  
The door suddenly burst open, and Cid, cursing wildly, burnt his hand on the tip of his cigarette. The newcomer was a half an hour late, and breathing very heavily.  
  
"You ?$%#$!&n' cat! If I didn't wanna ruin my suit and make Shera cry--an' she's been doin' that a lot lately, Doc Thomas said it's those damn hormones--I'd beat the $% out of you!"  
  
Reeve scratched his head and managed to look suitably sheepish. Although he really had no use for Cait Sith anymore--considering he was the President of The Reeve Electric Co.--the nickname "cat" had stuck. Just about everyone called him Reeve now, except for Cid and Barret.  
  
"Sorry Cid. I didn't mean to come bursting in here like this. I got caught up at work. With my Vice President attending the wedding, I got a little behind."  
  
"The least you could've done was warn me. I burnt my damn hand!"  
  
"How many of those have you smoked already?," was Reeve's reply.  
  
"Hell if I know!"  
  
"He is on his second pack," Vincent replied for him.  
  
"You must be pretty nervous."  
  
Cid glared at Reeve, and Reeve wisely backed away.  
  
"How are the remodeling of the sectors coming?" Red asked Reeve, trying to interject a note of peace.  
  
"Sector 7 should be finished in about six months. The people of Midgar do good, fast work when they are treated and paid decently. It really amazed me how fast they converted the mako reactors to electric generators. Midgar should be up and running without bugs fairly quickly."  
  
Reeve turned from Red and looked toward Vincent, "My offer still stands Vincent, should you want to join the former Turks in working for me. With your deadly aim, you would make a perfect bodyguard."  
  
With a small twitch of his lips, something that passed for a smile where Vincent was concerned, he replied, "As before, I thank you Reeve. But, I have no wish to work for anyone. I have managed to clean out the Nibelheim mansion, and now I wish to remain there. I am still sorting through all of Hojo and Gast's workings. I want to make sure that they have left no loose ends to threaten our new found peace."  
  
Reeve nodded, and turned to Cloud, "I sent Reno out to look over the progress of Sector 7. He was extremely bored at the thought of spending a day watching men work, but he did it. Vincent, I sent Rude to the Icicle Village to collect all of Gast's files for you to look over. Elena, is overseeing the repairs on the electric generator in Nibelheim as we speak."  
  
Cloud nodded and said, "Sorry to leave you with so much work Reeve. But Tifa wanted me to be here early to make sure I got here at all. I get so busy sometimes that I'm late for dinner."  
  
Cid glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "How damn long can it possibly take to get dressed!"   
  
Tifa put another flower in Shera's hair, and then stood back to admire her effort. Shera looked beautiful in a simple white dress, her hair piled on top of her head and decorated with flowers.  
  
"Cid will forget all about how long he had to wait when he sees you," Tifa told Shera.  
  
"Are you sure I don't look like an egg?" Shera asked with a smile.  
  
"Nope." Yuffie told her, holding up little Cera in order to make baby noises in her face.  
  
Tifa glanced at Yuffie and shook her head. Although Yuffie was still quite annoying at times, and still very greedy for materia, it always amazed Tifa how much she had changed. Sometimes, she thought, looking at Shera, she was amazed how much they all had changed.  
  
"So Shera," Yuffie asked, "how did you manage to make the old man marry you?"  
  
"I didn't. He just got it in his mind that this is what I wanted. You know Cid; once he has made up his mind, there is no stoping him."  
  
"Is this what you want?" asked Elmyra, who held a sleeping Marlene in her lap.  
  
"Yes, I wanted marriage. But, I was perfectly happy the way things were."  
  
A look of understanding passed between Shera and Tifa as she added, "I'm just happy to have him."  
  
Yuffie shook her head, her face scrunching up into a look of disgust, "Why you'd want him anyway is beyond me. The man is an obnoxious, old goat."  
  
Tifa took Cera from Yuffie and gave her a dirty look. Maybe she had been a little bit wrong about Yuffie changing.  
  
"Well..." Yuffie trailed off as Tifa pinned her with another look.  
  
But, Shera merely laughed and replied, "You'll understand one day when you love someone."  
  
Shera glanced at herself in the mirror and decided that she didn't look too bad. She had been feeling a little restless lately, but that was because Cid refused to let her work until after the baby was born. She figured she could make some small sacrafices. But, Cid had learned quickly that Shera wasn't really the pushover that she seemed. She couldn't be, to have put up with his treatment of her all those years.  
  
A knock sounded, and one blonde spike peaked its way in, "Is it safe to come in?"  
  
"Yes Cloud." Tifa replied.  
  
He walked in and softly closed the door behind him. Walking up to Tifa, he slid an arm around her waist and pressed her to his side. Sometimes, Tifa still found it hard to believe that all of Cloud finally belonged to her. After their experience trapped in the lifestream, they had found the closeness they never had as children. Cloud still had nightmares about Sephiroth and all the expiriments Hojo performed on him, but with her right there to comfort him when he woke up, the nightmares were less frequent. And now with little Cera, and a job as Vice President to Reeve--that wonderful man, she could just kiss him if Cloud wouldn't take offense and try to slice him to ribbons--Cloud had too much to concentrate on to be concerned about Sephiroth.  
  
"Cid is driving us crazy Shera. I hope you're almost finished."  
  
"Yes," she laughed, "I'm finally finished."  
  
He looked her over and said, "You're going to knock Cid dead."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
Cloud kissed Tifa and said, "I'll let the others know."  
  
When he had left, Elmyra said, "I just want you to know Shera, that I think it is really wonderful that you are getting married in Aeris' church."  
  
Shera walked up to Elmyra and squeezed her hand, hoping to lend some comfort to the pain that would never heal in all of them. She knew that being married to Barret was the best thing to happen to Elmyra since she was given Aeris all those years ago. It was obvious to anyone who knew them, that the two were happy. And, most importantly, so was Marlene.  
  
"I really wish she was here to see this."  
  
"She is Elmyra. She is."   
  
Cid waited for Shera at the altar--Vincent, Cloud, Red, Barret, and Reeve all next to him. First down the aisle came Marlene, then Elmyra, Yuffie, Tifa, and finally, Shera. If he would've had a cigarette in his mouth at this moment, it would've fallen to the floor. He'd seen Shera in various states of dress, but never lookin' like this. Dammit, if she didn't look like his own personal angel. He swallowed hard and tugged at his tie.  
  
"Cid," Vincent whispered, "leave that tie alone."  
  
"Would you look at her Vincent?" he replied.  
  
"Cid, is that a tear?" Reeve asked.  
  
"No dammit! I got somethin' in my eye."  
  
He watched her glide closer, and he wished to hell he had a cigarette right now. Damn, but he really did love her.  
  
"Jesus." he said, after a moment.  
  
When she reached his side at last, he took her hand and they said their vows. When it was over, he kissed her hard, swept her up into his arms, and headed for the general direction of the remodeled Highwind--it had taken quite a beating after the Northern Crater. As soon as he dropped everyone off, he was taking her to Costa Del Sol for a much needed vacation/honeymoon. 


	3. Part Two Two months later

"Rufus' Twin"  
  
By Me   
  
Chapter Two - Two Months Later   
  
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The Highwind was flying smoothly, gliding around the sharp, jutting pieces of the Nibel mountains and expertly skimming the top of the crystal blue ocean. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease snaking its way through his gut. It didn't take long for him to realize the source of this discomfiture--the ship was as deserted as a ghost town, and no one was at the controls.  
  
Suddenly, the Highwind's internal alarms went off and he was thrown hard onto the floor as something large crashed into the side. Just as he got his footing, it smashed into the ship harder, causing him to hit his head solidly against the metal plating of the control deck.  
  
Before he lost consciousness, he saw the image of an enormous eye staring into the airship and heard the maniacal laughter of Sephiroth.  
  
"Cid? Cid!"  
  
Cid shot up, his chest heaving with the effort to breathe. He ran a hand down his drenched face and through his sweat soaked blonde hair, before turning to Shera.  
  
"Did I wake you?"  
  
She shook her brown head, "No, I woke you. You were having another nightmare."  
  
"Jesus Shera, they're all the same. Always the Highwind, Ultima Weapon, and Sephiroth. Either I'm crazy, or they're tryin' to tell me somethin'."  
  
Shera scooted as close to him as her swollen belly would allow, and said, "You're not crazy. It's just your mind trying to sort through everything, that's all."  
  
"How long 'till it's done sortin'? It's been over a year. Dammit, am I gonna be haunted by that bastard forever?"  
  
Shera knew by now, when to talk to Cid and when to simply offer comfort. She did the latter now, pulling him down to rest on her belly. He felt her stomach clench and then relax--Shera sighing when it returned to normal.  
  
"Did I just feel the baby kick?"  
  
"No." she calmly replied, "that was a contraction."  
  
Cid rushed to a sitting position and said, "Dammit Shera! You mean to tell me while I was blubberin' over my nightmares, you were sittin' here gettin' ready to have our baby?!"  
  
"It's all right Cid. Dr. Thomas said that it would probably take awhile for the baby to be born. I've only been having contractions for about an hour."  
  
"$%! An hour!"  
  
"It's not time to go yet."  
  
"Not time to go yet?! You're in labor for christ sakes!"  
  
Cid jumped off of the bed and grabbed the suitcase full of Shera's things that he had packed a whole two months ago. He then threw on a pair of faded, brown pants and grabbed a shirt from the back of Shera's vanity chair. Snatching a pack of cigarettes from their dresser, he tried in vain to light one. When he realized that his hands were shaking too damn bad, he gave up and grabbed the PHS.  
  
Shera calmly watched the whole escapade from their bed, knowing that it would do no good to interrupt Cid when he was on a mission. She would let him make all of the preparations he wanted and when he was finished, she would tell him it wasn't time to go yet.  
  
"Vincent! Dammit Vincent, I ain't got time to talk! Shera's in labor."  
  
Vincent's steady, lucid voice floated from the phone and to Shera's ears, "Are you sure this time Cid? Last week, Dr. Thomas said that it was a false alarm."  
  
"#$% Vincent, I'm damn sure!"  
  
"Are you listening to Shera. If you had listened to her last time, you would not have needed to get everyone out of bed."  
  
"Are you deaf?! I said it ain't a false alarm!"  
  
"All right, friend. I will have everyone ready to be picked up within the next 20 minutes."  
  
"Twenty minutes! That's too damn late!"  
  
"I am no expert, but these things take time."  
  
"Givin' birth, or gettin' morons organized?!"  
  
Vincent chuckled, a rarity for him, over the undisguised agitation in Cid's voice, "Giving birth, of course."  
  
"All right, all right! I'll get Cloud and Tifa up an' movin' since they live next door. You take care of everyone else."  
  
"Yes Captain."  
  
"Be sure an' tell'em to be ready or I'm leavin' without'em!"  
  
Cid hung the PHS up without saying goodbye, and turned to Shera.  
  
"Why they hell aren't you ready to go?!"  
  
Shera laughed, as much as was possible over the increasing pains in her stomach, "You heard Vincent, we have 20 minutes."  
  
Cid swore and headed for the door, "I'm goin' to get that spikey-head kid up and movin'. Be ready when I get back."  
  
"Or what, you'll leave me too?"  
  
"Dammit Shera! This ain't no time to joke!"  
  
Sensing his fears were getting the best of him, she sought to reassure him, "I'll be fine Cid, I promise. And, I'll be ready when you get back."   
  
Vincent stretched the stiffness from his legs, caused by having sat for hours going through the numerous files of Hojo and Gast. He rarely slept anymore; years of slumbering in the world of nightmares does that to a man.  
  
He had another rusty chuckle over the raw panic in Cid's call over the PHS moments ago. Cid was the toughest person he knew, yet his wife's labor had neatly plucked the foundation out from under his feet in seconds. He pushed a lock of long, black hair from his face and adjusted the scarlet scarf surrounding his neck.  
  
The Nibelheim mansion, thanks to the efforts of him and his friends, was now a slightly less gloomy place to live. The windows had been cleared free of grime, so that light leaked through, and all of Hojo's unwelcome inhabitants were disposed of. A little over a year had passed since Sephiroth's defeat, but he still had not managed to read and organize all of the files littering the basement. His hope was, that he would find nothing that would threaten the tenuous threads of peace surrounding the groups members.  
  
Well, it was time to make the calls. Of all of them, he disliked the job of awakening Barret the most. He was not interested in hearing the litany of curse words that the big, black man could spew forth. The ninja girl Yuffie was often times hard to reach, because she would sometimes turn her PHS off when sleeping. Red, the sleek panther-like creature, took naps when it was to his liking, so he was occasionally awake at this time of the night. Reeve, formerly known as Cait Sith, being awake or not depended on whether he had accomplished his daily mountains of work.  
  
Vincent picked up the PHS and began to dial.   
  
Cloud awoke to a loud booming noise coming from the general vicinity of his living room. He ran a hand through his blonde spikes and shook his sleeping wife awake.  
  
"Wha-" the soft voice of a woman with long, silky brown hair asked.  
  
"Tifa, I think Cid is beating down our door again."  
  
"Do you think Shera is really in labor this time?"  
  
"She'd better be, or I'm going to stuff the Yoshiyuki up his-"  
  
"Cloud! Have a little sympathy. Remember what you did to Cid?," she added with a giggle.  
  
"Yeah. I woke him up twice before it was the real thing."  
  
"The second time, he came to the door with his Venus Gospel in his hands."  
  
"I was afraid he was going to use it too," he replied, jumping into a pair of crisp, blue pants.  
  
Tifa heard bits and pieces of a muffled conversation and then Cloud returned, cradling the form of their five month old baby Cera in his arms.  
  
"Cid said that Shera is sure it's for real this time. He wants us ready in fifteen minutes or he's leaving us behind."  
  
"How did he look like he was holding up?"  
  
"Terribly."  
  
"Well, let's get going then. I wouldn't miss this for the world."   
  
Barret fumbled around the nightstand next to his bed for about three rings before his big hand closed around the PHS.  
  
"'lo?,"he asked, fuzzily.  
  
"Barret? Sorry to wake you."  
  
"Vincent? What the hell is it?"  
  
"Shera is in labor."  
  
"Is that damn fool Cid sure this time?"  
  
"Yes. He said to be ready in 20 minutes or he is leaving you. That would make it 15 minutes now."  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm gettin' up. But he better be right, or else I'm gonna shoot'im."  
  
"Goodbye then."  
  
"Yeah. See ya soon."  
  
He turned to Elmyra, his fierce expression softening. He had never expected to find someone to care for after his wife had died at the hands of the damn Shinra. Takin' care of his old friend Dyne's kid Marlene had seemed like enough for him. But, seein' Elmyra with Marlene made him realize she needed a woman in her life, and it helped that he liked Elymra enough to want to marry her.  
  
"Was that Vincent?"  
  
"Yeah. Shera's in labor for real this time."  
  
"I'll get Marlene ready if you want to grab the blanket I made for the baby."  
  
"Sure, sure," he replied, reaching out to brush a strand of graying, brown hair from her eyes.  
  
She smiled at him and crawled out of their bed. Barret did the same, reaching for the clothes folded neatly on top of the dresser.   
  
"No Vincent, you did not wake me. I have been sleeping restlessly lately. Grandfather taught me to be in tune with the planet and I have not been liking some of its cries as of late."  
  
"I have been feeling uneasy as well," Vincent told Red XIII.  
  
"Have you been able to discover anything in Hojo or Gast's files?"  
  
"Not yet. But I am afraid it is only a matter of time until I do."  
  
Considering that Red had paws and walked on all fours, it was awkward for him to hold the PHS and stand at the same time. So, Cid had fashioned him intercoms for the rooms of Cosmo Canyon that he liked to frequent the most. When he was away from his home, he wore a set of headphones with a large button for answering on its side.  
  
He was resting now, on the small, green sofa in what had once been his Grandfather's room. His one good, red eye blinked every so often with the rhythm of the conversation.  
  
"And Cid is certain this time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You know that I require very little time to ready myself. I will be at the entrance to Cosmo Canyon in ten minutes."   
  
Yuffie Kisaragi yawned and considered throwing her Shuriken at the PHS that rattled noisily across the room. It was too damn late for someone to be calling her now. It could only mean one of two things: All hell had broke loose, or Shera was in labor. Of the two, she really hoped for the latter. At least births took hours; and since she wasn't the one having the baby, she could sleep through it.  
  
She pushed herself to a sitting position on her mat, and then rose on long, skinny legs. Her short, pixie-like brown hair was still in a neat cap surrounding her head.  
  
"This had better be good," she told the caller.  
  
"It depends on your view of 'good'."  
  
Vincent? Does this mean Shera's in labor again?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She sighed. Leave it to Vincent to keep everything short and simple. The man was   
  
damn hard to pry details out of.  
  
"Well," she demanded, "is he sure it's for real this time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Gawd Vince, enough with the one word answers already!"  
  
"Be ready in ten minutes or you'll be left behind."  
  
"Ten minutes! What does he think I am, his gold chocobo?!"  
  
Goodbye Yuffie."  
  
"Yeah, c'ya soon."  
  
She stumbled into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Then, she headed across the town of Wutai to tell her father where she was going.   
  
Reeve clutched his aching head and told his PHS to, "Shut the hell up!"  
  
First, he had maneuvered his way through a morass of paperwork, and been given a migraine for his efforts. Simple aspirin was not working anymore, and he considered asking Dr. Thomas for some medication. Then, the welcome wagon Reno and Rude--formerly of the Turks--had shown up with a half a case of beer. Never one to pass up an opportunity to get drunk with friends--he couldn't count the times he and Cid had got plastered while playing poker--he had merrily drowned his headache in alcohol.  
  
Now, the damned PHS was like an anvil pounding away at his throbbing head.  
  
"Who the hell is this, and you had better make it well worth my while!"  
  
"A hangover again, Reeve?"  
  
"Dammit Vince, why don't you ever suffer the woes of the mortal man?"  
  
"I have no feelings with which to drown in the pits of alcohol."  
  
"Jesus! My brain is moving to slow to keep up with you. Can't you speak in plain English?"  
  
"I am not stupid enough to get drunk."  
  
"Thanks. I feel much better now."  
  
"Shera is in labor," was his reply.  
  
"Now?! When I feel like death warmed over?"  
  
"I am afraid so. Cid is planning to leave in five minutes."  
  
"Five! Well, I'll get one of my pilots to fly me there. I may be late, but I'll make it."  
  
"Goodbye then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Reeve stood up, grabbing the headboard of his bed as support for his wobbly knees. What he needed was a cold shower, plenty of caffeine, and a whole damn bottle of aspirin. And oh yeah, he needed to wake up the two guys responsible for this and take them with him.   
  
By the time Cid and the gang arrived in the newly remodeled Mideel--thanks in large part to Reeve--Doc Thomas had everything ready to go. His nurse wheeled Shera into an examining room, shut the door, and told everyone to stay in the waiting room, including the foul-mouthed, expectant father.  
  
Cid had gotten Vincent to light a cigarette for him, and was now puffing nervously away. Of the large group, he and Vincent were the only ones that remained standing. Well, Vincent stood still, and Cid stalked the length of the room and back again.  
  
"Damn Cid," Barret complained, "this is worse than your wedding."  
  
Cid didn't even spare him a glance, all of his focus was centered on the hallway that led to the room where Shera was giving birth. It had been four hours already, and Yuffie, Marlene, and Cera were all sleeping. Tifa rested against Cloud's side, whispering something to him every so often, Red was stretched out on the floor, and Elmyra was enclosed within Barret's enormous arms, Marlene in her lap.  
  
The doorway to the waiting room suddenly flung open, and a very pale Reeve stepped through.  
  
"Dammit Cat, are you ever on time?!" Cid demanded.  
  
"Jeez Cid, not so loud."  
  
Behind him, Reno and Rude drug their groggy forms through the door as well. Of the two, the red-headed Reno couldn't hold liquor worth $#. Four of them, and he was out like a light. The bald, extremely tall Rude, on the other hand, could have about seven and not blink an eye.  
  
"What the hell're you two doin' here?!" Cid wanted to know.  
  
"Ask super-prez here," Reno winced, grabbing his head.  
  
"They had a part in my suffering, so I forced them to come with. How's it going?"  
  
"Too damn slow."  
  
"Be patient Cid, these things take time. I should know."  
  
Cid turned to Tifa and tried his best to manage a smile.   
  
Three hours later, with a wail loud enough to make her papa proud, Amanda Cid Highwind was born. 


	4. Part Three Seven Years Later

"Rufus' Twin"  
  
By Me  
  
Chapter Three - Seven Years Later   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Cid rolled from underneath his latest job from Reeve--an old Shinra fighter plane that he wanted fixed-up and repainted--and grabbed a grease rag, wiping furiously at the oil covering his face. When he was satisfied that he could see again, he rose to his feet and fisted his hands on his hips. The look on his face would have scared the hell out of a man twice his size, but then, this wasn't a man, and she was about half his size.  
  
"Goddammit Mandie! I outta thump your melon good and hard!"  
  
Mandie, formally Amanda Cid Highwind, wasn't too concerned, even if her Dad did look mad enough to skin the hide off of a chocobo. Her Dad hardly ever spanked, he usually yelled and sent her to her room.  
  
"I just wanted to see if it was like I read in the book," she replied, sliding the toe of her boot along the cement floor of Cid's shop.  
  
"With the damn thing right over my face?!"  
  
"I thought that was something else. In the book, an airplane--"  
  
"Mandie," Cid said, taking a deep breath to calm down, "this is a fighter plane. It's a little different from an airplane like the Tiny Bronco."  
  
She peeked up at him and had to bite her lip so as not to laugh. Gone was the usually messy blonde-hair, and instead, in its place, were limp, black tendrils.  
  
"You--what's so damn funny?!"  
  
"I'm sorrry d-d-daddy! I ca-ca-can't h-help it!"  
  
"Jesus munchkin! So now I'm a joke to you?"  
  
He walked over to the mirror above the washbin, stained permanently black from oil and other grime, and took a good look. Hell, he did did hilarious. Putting on his best stern face, he turned back to Mandie, who was now rolling on the floor with laughter.  
  
Finally, Cid couldn't contain it, and he began laughing too. He walked over to Mandie and swung her up into his arms. Mandie gladly wrapped her legs around his waist, and hugged her arms about his neck.  
  
"You're somethin' else, you know it?"  
  
"A chip off the old block, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Just like your old man. But don't let your Mom hear that. She don't want you actin' like me."  
  
Mandie giggled, "I like actin' like you."  
  
This was how Cloud found them. He had to stop for a moment and watch them just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. No matter how many times he witnessed Cid's affection with his daughter, it took him by surprise. Mandie had that big, tough pilot wrapped around her little finger. If she asked him to, he'd probably build her a stairway to the moon.  
  
"Hey Cid, I hate to interrupt--what happened to your hair?!"  
  
"Mandie happened, that's what."  
  
Mandie grinned at Uncle Cloud, but managed to look sheepish when Cid swung his head back around to her.  
  
"Well, I came to remind you to pick us up by eight for Rude's bachelor party."  
  
Cid set Mandie down and grabbed a fresh, oil-free pack of cigarettes off of his toolbox. He lit one, causing Mandie to make a face, wave her hand, and run into the house.  
  
"What the hell do you think I am, stupid?"  
  
Just then, the PHS rang.  
  
"Who the hell is it?!" Cid bellowed into the phone.  
  
"It's me Cid. Yer gettin' so old, I thought I'd remind ya about Rude's bachelor party at eight," Barret added.  
  
"What the hell is this?! You morons think I'm senile or somethin'?! Old?! I'll show you old you #$&#$$!"  
  
"What the hell you talkin' about Cid?! I only called you this once!"  
  
"That damn spikey-headed kid is here remindin' me now!"  
  
"The hell was I s'posed ta now!"  
  
Suddenly, the call waiting beeped in Cid's ear.  
  
"I gotta go! There's someone else callin' me."  
  
Cid switched lines and barked, "Hello?"  
  
"Cid, this is Vincent."  
  
"I already know Rude's damn party is at eight! If one more person reminds me I'm gonna knock some heads together!"  
  
"This has nothing to do with Rude's party."  
  
"Damn Vince, why didn't you say so?!"  
  
"I would have. However, I was attacked before given the chance to state the purpose of my call."  
  
"So, whadda you want?"  
  
Vincent sighed; Cid was not one for apologies.  
  
"I am having trouble with the lighting here. I have no knowledge of electricity and I was hoping you would fix it."  
  
"I thought you could see good in the dark. Besides, haven't you managed to go through all those files yet?"  
  
"Reading for extreme periods of time in the dark can strain even the eyes of a man like me. And no, I have not managed to finish them all yet. Thanks to the scheming of my friends over the years, I find I have less and less time to spend on this task."  
  
"Well hell, you need to do other things besides holing up in that damn mansion all day. Anyhow, I'll be there in a half an hour to fix your electricity."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Cid hung the PHS up and turned back to Cloud, "Is Cat bringin' Rude and Reno out?"  
  
"Yes, Reeve is. But first, he's going to drop the bride off at my house. You'll have to drop Elmyra, Marlene, and Yuffie off there too before we head out."  
  
Cid nodded, turning to look at the progress he had made on the fighter. It seemed, with the exception of Barret, who now ran both the weapon and items shop in Kalm; Tifa, who taught martial arts in her backyard; Red, who lived in Cosmo Canyon gaining wisdom so that he may become an Elder; and Vincent, who had no need of a job, that just about everyone worked for Reeve now. Cloud was his Vice President, the former Turks performed miscellaneous jobs--among them bodyguards--Shera worked as an engineer on Reeve's various projects, and he worked on anything Reeve sent his way.  
  
He crushed his cigarette beneath the heel of his boot, and headed for the house. He needed to get this oil out of his hair before Shera got home and saw it. She'd probably raise holy hell and make him sleep on the couch. That is, until he changed her mind by making her see the benefits of having him sleeping in their bed.   
  
Cid stepped into the kitchen, wiping his head vigorously with a towel. Shera stood at the stove, stirring what smelled like stew. He tossed the towel onto the counter and wrapped his arms around her from behind.  
  
"Smells good."  
  
"It's stew. Mandie asked for it tonight."  
  
"I wasn't talkin' about the stew. I was talkin' about you."  
  
"Cid!" she protested, her face turning an unmistakably bright shade of red.  
  
"What do you say to makin' up for me bein' gone tonight right now?"  
  
"But, the stew-"  
  
Cid reached over and turned off the burner.  
  
"Mandie-"  
  
"Mandie's over at Cloud's playin' with Cera for the next hour," he replied, turning her around so that she faced him.  
  
"Oh." she said, at a loss for words while confronted with his very determined face.  
  
He tucked the loose strands of hair floating around her face behind her ears.  
  
"Hmm?" he asked.  
  
She blinked twice behind the round frames of her glasses and nodded. Cid swept her up into his arms and headed for the direction he had come.   
  
Cid landed the Highwind outside of Nibelheim and heaved the rope ladder over the edge. Although they had led a relatively peaceful life for the last eight years, all of them still kept their weapons in close proximity. He climbed halfway down the ladder, and then tossed the Partisan down the rest of the way.  
  
Vincent watched him from the upper floor of the mansion. He could see the flickering tip of the cigarette in Cid's mouth, and the detailed outline of the patches on his blue, faded pilot's coat. His keen eyesight was only one of the many advantages he received from Hojo's experiments on him. His left arm, below the elbow, was made out of metal and ended in a nasty looking claw. His eyes, once a quiet shade of brown, were now an intense red that deepened when he was furious.  
  
Others perceived him as a calm, cold man. But, when they witnessed his frightening limit breaks, they wondered at the torture he must carry in his soul. He had shed his blue Turks uniform long ago, and in its place, he wore black clothing covered with a blood red cape--it's clasp reaching well above his chin. At his side, at all times, he kept the Death Penalty shotgun in a long holster.  
  
Walking to the railing of the stairs, he jumped down to the floor below with the ease of a big cat. Cid was standing in the doorway, leaning on the end of the Partisan.  
  
"You are making a hole in my floor."  
  
"You got so many damn holes already, how would you notice?" Cid replied, lighting up another cigarette.  
  
Vincent ignored that reply and then said, "You are late."  
  
Cid grinned, his cigarette sliding to the side of his mouth, "I had to spend time with Shera to make up for stayin' in Costa Del Sol tonight."  
  
Vincent turned away from Cid, not knowing how to reply to that comment. Had he any feelings, he probably would have blushed.  
  
Cid pulled his weapon from the floor, and followed Vincent. They walked up the stairs and took the door on the right. Vincent pushed aside the tomb-like entrance to the basement, and they descended.  
  
"Damn, I hate this place. Some of the $%#! that was livin' down here'd scare the hair right offa your face."  
  
"Does that include me?" Vincent asked, delivering this in a neutral tone, his face devoid of all expression.  
  
"If I didn't know better, Vince, I'd say you just made a joke."  
  
They passed the room where Vincent had slept in a coffin for many years to escape from his pain. But he never really had, because nightmares had plagued his every moment that he slumbered.  
  
When they reached the room of Hojo and Gast's experiments, Vincent felt the familiar anguish that twisted his soul. The one feeling that he allowed himself, experiencing his love for her. Lucrecia, his love. The sun had set and the moon had rose on her, and Hojo had taken her from him and used her to create the evil that was Sephiroth.  
  
Cid knew that staying here must be ripping Vincent apart. It was in this house that he had lost the only love he had ever known, and that who he was as a man was altered forever at the hands of the deranged Hojo. When they had first defeated Sephiroth, Cid knew that Vincent had no where to go, so he had offered his place. But, Vincent had insisted upon staying here to make sure that Hojo hadn't left any surprises for the group to contend with.  
  
Cid couldn't imagine living without Shera--even the thought caused pain to spread through his gut like wildfire--and he could only speculate at what Vincent must have felt all these years for Lucrecia.  
  
"Let me have a look at the circuit breaker."  
  
Cid ducked his head inside, and messed around with a few wires. That wasn't working, so he dug deeper.  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
"What is it?" Vincent questioned.  
  
"There's-somethin'-back here...it feels like-ugh...a damn file."  
  
He adjusted a few more wires, and then, satisfied when the lights came on, he turned to Vincent.  
  
"I'm not sure what the hell this is."  
  
"Leave it on the table, we must pick everyone up if we hope to make it to Rude's bachelor party in time."  
  
Cid tossed the file on the table, not noticing when an enormous stack of papers slid down to cover it.   
  
"Yo, Rude. Who do ya think is enjoyin' your party more, you," Barret jerked his thumb in the direction of the bar, "or them?"  
  
Rude turned to look at the trio and then back to Barret, "Them."  
  
Rude was on his third beer, and showing no signs of intoxication. Next to him, Barret was still on his first. He had promised Elmyra that he wouldn't get drunk. She figured someone needed to watch out for the three that always got plastered. Vincent, Red, and Cloud were the only three that hadn't touched alcohol. Red considered it toxic, Vincent a waste of time, and Cloud wasn't interested.  
  
The three party animals then, were Reeve, Reno, and Cid. At this moment, they stood at the bar, beers in hand and singing Cid's choice of song--Over the Wild Blue Yonder--at the top of their lungs. Though not drunk enough to be incapacitated, they were nonetheless sloshed enough to make fools of themselves.  
  
"Vincent, consider yourself blessed to only have enhanced eye sight. I am burdened with overly sensitive hearing," Red added, covering his ears with his forepaws.  
  
"I ain't got super hearin' and they're buggin' the hell out of me!" Barret stated.  
  
"I find that if I concentrate, I can tune them out," Vincent told the group.  
  
"I wish that I could do the same," Cloud replied.  
  
Rude tossed back the last of his beer and said, "I have grown used to it. Reno has been doing this since we first met as newly inducted Turks."  
  
"Yo guys! Yer makin' $$#$ of yerselves!" Barret yelled.  
  
"$#% you!" was Cid's reply and then he launched into the chorus without skipping a beat.  
  
"Hey Rude!" Reno yelled. "Why don't you join us?"  
  
Rude's eyebrows raised above his dark glasses, "......."  
  
Reno dismissed him with a wave of his beer bottle, and went back to singing.  
  
"Are you looking forward to being married?" Cloud asked Rude.  
  
Rude thought about it for a moment, his face as impassive as stone.  
  
"Ya ain't havin' no second thoughts are ya?" Barret asked, after waiting so long for the answer.  
  
Rude took a drink of his beer and said, "I have been waiting a long time for this day. I have had feelings for her since the first moment we met. But, she was in love with another and there was nothing I could do. I lost all hope that she could ever see me for more than a friend. Now, to know that I will be able to share the rest of my life with her is my dream come true."  
  
Everyone gaped, astonished that so many eloquent words had come out of Rude's mouth all at once. Rude, embarrassed by the attention he was receiving, ducked his head to hide the blush that had spread across his cheeks--however, it had also spread across his shiny scalp.  
  
"That was wonderful, Rude," Red said.  
  
"Ye-yeah," a stunned Barret added.  
  
"You touched upon feelings I did not know existed," Vincent stated.  
  
"That's how I feel about Tifa. I just can't say it quite like that," Cloud delivered.  
  
By now, the consumers of mass quantities of alcohol, had launched into their fifth rendition of the song, and those sitting at the table were tired of hearing it.  
  
"Ain't ya got anything else to sing?" Barret demanded.  
  
"Not singing at all would be preferable," Cloud decided.  
  
"Just because you guys don't know how to have fun, doesn't mean you need to ruin ours," Reeve replied.  
  
"I am afraid our idea of fun does not include torturing others," Red said.  
  
"All right, all right! We get the damn picture!" Cid yelled.  
  
"Let's play poker for gil," Reno offered.  
  
"Now yer talkin'!" Barret agreed.   
  
Marlene watched Mandie and Cera playing the popular Chocobo Racing video game from her place on Cera's bed. Mandie was racing a black chocobo named Buddy, and Cera was racing a blue chocobo named Max. At the moment, Buddy was severely behind.  
  
"Looks like I might win you this time, Mandie."  
  
"Don't count on it, Cera," Mandie replied, scrunching her face up in an intense look of concentration--a look her Dad told her she inherited from her Mom.  
  
Max rounded the loop, a white chocobo right on its tail. Behind the white chocobo, a red, green, yellow, and then the black Buddy. Mandie wasn't too worried about being in last place, she had a few secrets Cera didn't know about.  
  
Suddenly, the white chocobo gained on Max and was nearly in the lead until it lost its stamina and fell far behind. The red warked and rushed to fill the space left by the white. The green started panting, and its tongue fell out of its beak. It looked like the green wasn't going to make it either.  
  
The goal posts of the finish line were looming in the distance, and Mandie knew that it was time to make her move. Switching her fingers to the top of her paddle, she started pressing furiously. Buddy warked and shot ahead of all the lagging chocobos. Just as the chocobos approached the finish line, Buddy overtook Max and won by a beak.  
  
Cera threw her paddle to the floor, and jumped up, "You cheated, Amanda Highwind!"  
  
Mandie comtemplated this turn of events. She may have inherited her father's legendary temper, but she also inherited her mother's ability to think things through before she acted. The question here was, did she want to fight with Cera, or ignore her?  
  
A sparkle of the Highwind mischief was suddenly visible in her eyes, and she decided that she hadn't had a good fight in awhile. So, she rose gracefully, and turned to face her accuser.  
  
"I didn't cheat, Cera."  
  
"Oh, then what do you call that?! You were in last place and then you suddenly won!"  
  
"I just know a few tricks, that's all."  
  
"You just didn't want to tell me because you didn't want to lose! You know I'm better at video games than you are."  
  
Mandie looked down her nose at Cera, as if the other girl was beneath her, and didn't comment.  
  
"Ooh!!! You think you're sooo superior! Well, let me tell you Miss Amanda, you're nothing but a grease monkey! All you ever do is spend time working on your Dad's dumb planes like a stupid boy! At least my Dad has a real job! He's Reeve's Vice President, not some stupid mechanic."  
  
Mandie's jaw dropped open. She could hardly believe the mean things that were coming out of Cera's mouth. Grease monkey... stupid boy... stupid mechanic... and then, Amanda Cid Highwind became thoroughly ticked off. Considering her parentage, this was not really a wise choice on Cera's part.  
  
Cera didn't even have a chance to move out of the way as Mandie used the move Tifa had taught her to knock her opponent from their feet. But, Cera had been taking lessons from Tifa as well. She easily jumped to her feet, and prepared herself for Mandie's next blow.  
  
Mandie watched Cera like a hawk, anticipating her every move. She knew that if she waited long enough, Cera would get impatient and then sloppy. So, she casually dipped in and delivered a small slap to Cera's left cheek. Cera countered by a swift jab to Mandie's upper jaw, which Mandie easily blocked and returned one of her own. Frustrated, Cera swung wildly, managing to graze Mandie's shoulder and throw her off balance. Given this opportunity, Cera jumped in and kicked Mandie's right leg out from under her. Mandie hit the floor and felt her backside scream in pain. Cera eagerly dove in, and was surprised when Mandie grasped her right arm and tossed her against the wall.  
  
Mandie leapt to her feet and waited in her fighting stance for Cera to recover.  
  
Tears of pain and frustration filled Cera's eyes as she said, "You stupid jerk!! You're just jealous because I'm more popular than you are!! At least everyone doesn't call me grease monkey!"  
  
"Take that back! Nobody calls me grease monkey except for you!"  
  
Cera smiled evilly, "You're wrong. Half the school calls you one. Just the other day, Gavin Nollen said you should act like a girl instead of a boy."  
  
The blood slowly drained from Mandie's face; Gavin Nollen was one of her best friends next to Cera. He loved airplanes just as much as she did.  
  
"That's not true." she whispered.  
  
"Oh, but it is. He even said he thought your Dad was a moron and your Mom a nerd."  
  
The name calling hurt, the thought that Gavin might be saying things behind her back hurt even more, but the insults to her parents just plain pissed her off. And so, Amanda Cid Highwind got her first limit break--Dragon Punch.  
  
"TAKE-THAT-BACK!!"  
  
Cera watched in horror as Mandie's eyes began to burn an intense blue and a shower of red shot from her feet up. Mandie set her legs apart, raised her burning blue fists, and in a blur of crimson and cobalt, darted forward delivering a powerful uppercut starting at Cera's feet and ending beneath her jaw.  
  
"Ummmph-" Cera said, and fell to the floor.  
  
"Holy cow!" Marlene yelled, jumping off of the bed.  
  
Mandie, her chest heaving with the effort to breath, walked up to Cera and knelt down beside her.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I think," she wheezed.  
  
Mandie sat down next to Cera and rested against the wall.  
  
"Jeez Mandie, that hurt."  
  
"Sorry, you just made me really mad."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. All those things I said-they aren't true. None of them."  
  
Mandie waved her hand in dismissal, "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Sure it does. Can I tell you something?"  
  
"Yeah, shoot."  
  
"Well, I'm really jealous of you."  
  
"What?! Me?!"  
  
"Yeah. You're so tough, and you never let the other kids bother you. You never care what anyone thinks. I wish I could be like you."  
  
"Jeez Cera...," Mandie trailed off, embarrassed.  
  
"I didn't mean those things about your parents. Your mom is really smart and your dad is sooo fun. He lets you fly airplanes and do dangerous stuff."  
  
"Shhh. Mom isn't supposed to know about some of the stuff Dad lets me do."  
  
"I won't tell," Marlene said.  
  
"Yeah, tell us about the time he took you exploring in the Nibel Mountains."  
  
"Well, okay."  
  
Her rapt audience gathered around her, as she began the tale of her perilous journey through the dangerous Nibel Mountains.   
  
In Cloud and Tifa's kitchen, five women sat smoking cigars and playing poker like pros. Well, some of them were, the others were just bluffing it.  
  
"Boy, if the men could see us now!" Tifa said.  
  
"Cid would yell at me for smoking. It's all right for him to do it, but not me," Shera replied.  
  
"Who cares what they think anyway!" Yuffie yelled.  
  
"I think I got you beat this time, girls!" Elmyra crowed.  
  
They all laid their card down on the table, and were shocked when the bride's hand beat them all.  
  
"You are so good at this! I never even guessed you had anything!" Tifa exclaimed.  
  
Shera chuckled, "You have almost all of our gil."  
  
"Don't worry, I plan on giving it back."  
  
The bride pushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes and turned toward Cera's bedroom, "Did you hear that?"  
  
"What?" Tifa questioned.  
  
"That thump."  
  
Tifa stood up, "We'd better go see what's going on."  
  
They started for the girls room, but Shera stopped them at the door when she heard Mandie's voice say, "Dad even let me fly right over them! He wasn't even afraid I'd crash!"  
  
Shera's face got noticeably pale and she made a mental note to talk to Cid about what he was letting Mandie get up to.  
  
"Girls, what are doing?" Tifa asked, knocking on the door.  
  
They heard frantic whispers and the shuffling of objects before the door was opened by a wide-eyed Cera sporting a nifty bruise under her chin.  
  
"CERA! What happened to you?!"  
  
"I did it." Mandie replied, stepping forward.  
  
"Amanda Cid Highwind!" her mother exclaimed.  
  
"Don't get mad at her Aunt Shera, it was my fault. I was mad at her for beating me on the video game and I said some mean stuff."  
  
Shera narrowed her eyes and turned to Mandie, "That is no excuse for violence."  
  
"Awww Mommmmm!"  
  
"Don't aw Mom me! You are in big trouble little missy."  
  
Tifa placed her fists armed with God's Hands onto her hips and said to Cera, "You are grounded off that video game for a week. And you can be sure your father is going to hear about this when he gets home!"  
  
"Marlene, I'm disappointed in you. As the older of you three, you should have stopped the fight before it started."  
  
Marlene looked at her Mom, and then down at her shoes.  
  
"As for you, young lady, you can bet your boots Dad's shop is off limits for a week!" Shera informed Mandie.  
  
"Oh man!"   
  
"Well $#%! I ain't got crap for a hand!" Cid yelled, throwing his cards down in disgust.  
  
"That's because Rude-san here is the MASTER!" Reno informed him, throwing his hand down as well.  
  
"Yeah, well Vince runs a close second!" Barret growled, tossing his cards into the ever growing pile.  
  
Red was lounging in the corner, watching the game commence. He wasn't into losing his gil, so he let the others entertain him.  
  
Soon, all of the players had bowed out leaving a showdown between Rude and Vincent. They eyed each other from across the table, neither giving away the quality of the cards they held in their hands.  
  
"I will raise you 100." Vincent stated calmly.  
  
"I see you and raise you 200."  
  
"Very well, I match that and raise you another 200."  
  
"So be it." Rude replied, matching and raising Vincent 300.  
  
Vincent frowned, and then raised his bet to 500. Rude's face showed no emotion, but sweatdrops formed on his sparkling brow. The pressure was on, and Rude wasn't sure what Vincent was holding in his hands. Damn, but it didn't pay to play against a man with no emotions.  
  
"I raise you another 500." Vincent said.  
  
More sweat trickled down Rude's face, and he appeared to be contemplating his next move. Fold, raise, or call? He glanced at the meager pile of gil and made his decision.  
  
"I fold."  
  
"The almighty poker master Rude FOLDED?!" Reno yelled in disbelief.  
  
Cid clapped Vincent on the back and shouted, "Way to go Vince!"  
  
"What the hell did ya have anyway?" Barret wanted to know.  
  
Vincent turned his cards over: a pair of... TWOS!  
  
"%?!" Cid exclaimed.  
  
"So, what did you have?" Reeve asked Rude.  
  
"........."  
  
"Obviously, something better," Red proclaimed.  
  
Cid rose from the table and walked to the bar to get another round of beers. Suddenly, the door to the bar was flung open and a large group of scraggly, dirty hoodlums walked in.  
  
"Get the hell outta here! Can't you see this is a private party?!" Cid yelled.  
  
"Shut the #$% up, old man. We don't wanna hafta hurt ya!"  
  
"OLD MAN!"  
  
"$%#! Get outta the way guys! I called Cid old man today and he just about came through the PHS and kicked my $$!" Barret yelled, readying his weapon.  
  
Cid grabbed his Partisan from the bar and turned to face the enormous pack of men.  
  
"Hey, look at this! Old man is goin' to take us on himself!"  
  
Cid felt the blood rush to his head and pound in his temples, burning off all of the alcohol he had consumed. His limit gauge filled to the top and burned bright red with fury. It was not a good night to be the first few guys in front. Bright orangish-red encased his body as he rushed forward and beat the hell out of the first four guys, including the one who had called him "old man". Big Brawl was out and in full force. When he got done with them, they weren't going to be able to tell one end from the other.  
  
"Jump in here anytime guys!" Cid bellowed.  
  
"Damn! A poker game and a bar fight all in one night! What more could a man ask for?!" Reno yelled, grabbing his electric nightstick.  
  
Cloud pulled the Yoshiyuki from his back and took on the two guys wielding swords. Red, who had been calmly observing from behind, suddenly lunged forward and tackled a man who had landed a good punch upside Rude's head.  
  
"JESUS! Get it off, get it off!" the poor man screamed.  
  
Reeve pulled his .45 from his shoulder holster and wished to hell he had Cait Sith right now. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Vincent and exchanged shots with the cowards hiding behind the bar.  
  
"TURK LIGHT!" Reno cried.  
  
Reno's opponent was then so confused, that he started attacking his own guys and helping the other side immensely.  
  
"GODDAMN PUNKS!" Barret yelled, taking down one guy with his gunarm and at the same time, taking down another with his fist.  
  
A bullet lodged itself into Vincent, right above his metal arm and Reeve jumped out of the way as Hell Masker cut himself some firewood. He neatly sliced the bar in half, pushed each side out of the way, and proceeded to carve on those unfortunate enough to be in the way.  
  
Cid, who was alternately using his spear and his fist, whipped the legs out from under his opponent and then landed, elbow first, on his chest. Rude blocked a punch and threw one to the gut, two to the chin, and then pounded on the poor guy until he fell to the floor. Meanwhile, Cloud had already sliced his was through a bunch of guys and was looking around for more.  
  
Red used deathblow on his opponent and gave him permanent brain damage. Reeve and Vincent, having taken care of the men behind the bar, stepped back and watched their friends finish off the last of their enemies.  
  
When things had finally quieted down, the bartender--who ran to the back room when the fight broke out--peaked his head out of the room to survey the damage.  
  
"Don't worry," Reeve told him, "I'll pay for any damages. Hell, it was well worth it. I haven't had exercise like that in years!"  
  
"Damn, I'm gettin' old. It's time for bed." Barret said.  
  
"Don't give up on us yet," Reno replied, "the fun has just begun." 


End file.
